Badass Versus Badass
This match, maybe not perfect, gives me plenty to munch on. Part of last Saturday's benefit show in Mocksville, North Carolina, this hair-pulling, chest-chopping, stiff-punching, in- and out-of-the-ring hellraiser features NWA National Heavyweight Champion Damien Wayne facing TNA's Gunner in a championship challenge. I have seen Wayne, 41, 6'1", 220#, live and in person in a couple of shows in my vicinity, and he impresses me as a hard, not-to-be-fucked-with individual who, up close, is I-shit-you-not scary--and not once have I seen him let an adversary off easy. This match offers a mere taste of how mean this hombre can get. And at the last show I saw live, also a benefit, Gunner, 30, 6'2", 247#, seen in the flesh and at striking distance, made me go weak in the knees. Here he's the good guy, because he's not the one turning fans to stone with his scowl--an inimitable gift of Wayne's. The action slows down a bit at the 14-minute mark, but revs back up for a too-good-to-be-true false finish. It's a fine match, neither man's best, but sopping with sweat, cast-iron muscle, a fusillade of bone-busting blows, and tons of attitude, all caught with surprising skill with a single handheld camera and zoom lens.
You can watch the full match here.
I was so hoping that Gunner would win! Ever since I started seeing posts that he's in I've been looking for a match in which he emerged in victory, but haven't found one yet. Disappointment! :(
ReplyDeleteOh Gunner! He's so hot when he loses though...
ReplyDeleteDetailed match statistics by year
ReplyDeleteThis statistic shows the match results of this worker broken up by year.
Displaying items 1 to 8 of total 8 items that match the search parameters.
# Item Matches Wins % W Losses % L Draws % D
1 2013 3 0 0.0 3 100.0 0 0.0
2 2012 58 27 46.6 31 53.4 0 0.0
3 2011 85 24 28.2 58 68.2 3 3.5
4 2010 36 21 58.3 13 36.1 2 5.6
5 2009 30 16 53.3 11 36.7 3 10.0
6 2008 21 14 66.7 6 28.6 1 4.8
7 2007 21 14 66.7 7 33.3 0 0.0
8 2006 3 0 0.0 3 100.0 0 0.0
Gunner went to TNA in 2010 and shortly thereafter his winning percentage plunged. That could be interpreted in two ways: either the level of competition is so much higher in the TNA that he just couldn't accomplish as much there OR the promoters just decided that, for their bottom line, he just wasn't required to win.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that the TNA is at least twice as good as his previous venues. I may be being cynical, but I think that as happens too often when a wrestler moves into a "higher" plateau, that he is simply more disposable. Gunner may have been better off staying where he was.